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Photos | Kier helps secure crumbling Whaley Bridge dam
Neil Gerrard
Image: Kier Group
A total of 55 Kier employees have been involved in work to secure the Whaley Bridge Dam in Derbyshire, after it threatened to break and flood villages below it.
The Kier workers were deployed to activate an emergency drawdown plan at Toddbrook Reservoir on behalf of its client, the Canal & River Trust.
They worked alongside the Trust, emergency services, Royal Air Force (RAF) and supply chain to reduce water levels by 10.7m to date, resulting the situation being declared safe, which meant residents could return home.
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Kier has also installed a total of 11 12-inch (30.5cm) submersible pumps over a kilometre of associated piping. They also removed three weirs, providing 700 tonnes of stone for the RAF to drop using Chinook helicopters, and 400 tonnes of grouting.
They have also installed roads and access points, including a new road which ran from one side of the reservoir allowing pumps to be installed and maintained.
Image: Kier Group
Eddie Quinn, director of Kier Regional Civils, who led the emergency scheme, said: “The situation at Whaley Bridge was tense and at sometimes dangerous. I’m very proud of our team and supply chain for quickly coming together to help the Canal & River Trust and residents in the area. Working together, we quickly got the first water pumps into service and have been able to pump water out of the reservoir quickly.
“Reacting quickly has highlighted our ability to support our clients in their times of need, utilising our expertise regardless of the timing or breadth of project. It has been heart-warming to see the various organisations, as well as the local community come together during this time and we’re so pleased that residents are able to get back into their houses.”
Richard Parry, Canal and River Trust chief executive, said: “We would like to thank Kier and its supply chain who have reacted very quickly to this emergency and worked tirelessly since last Thursday to reduce water levels and stabilise the dam.”
Companies in Kier’s supply chain involved in the scheme were: Pump Suppliers, CPC Civils, SLD, GAP Group, and Ainscough Crane Hire.
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